Late archaic variability and change on the southern Columbia plateau : archaeological investigations in the Pine Creek drainage of the Middle John Day River, Wheeler County, Oregon

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Endzweig, Pamela

Abstract

A major concern of Columbia Plateau archaeology has been the
development of the ethnographic "Plateau pattern." Observed during
historic times, this lifeway focused on permanent riverine winter
villages and intensive use of anadromous fish, with ephemeral use of
interior tributaries and uplands for hunting and root gathering.
Constrained by a salvage-driven orientation, past archaeological
research on the Plateau has been biased towards major rivers, leaving
aboriginal lifeways in the interior to be interpreted on the basis of
ethnographic analogy, rather than archaeological evidence.
The present study utilizes museum collections from the Pine Creek
basin, a small tributary of the John Day River, to provide information
on prehistoric lifeways in a non-riverine Plateau setting. Cultural
assemblages and features from two sites, 35WH7 and 35WH14, were
described, classified, and analyzed with regard to temporal distribution, spatial and functional patterning, and regional ties. At
35WH14, evidence of semisubterranean pithouses containing a rich and
diverse cultural assemblage suggests long-term and repeated residential
occupation of this site by about 2600 B.P. This contrasts with the
ephemeral use predicted for the area by ethnographic accounts. Faunal
remains identified from 35WH7 and 35WH14 show a persistent emphasis on
deer, and little evidence for use of fish; this non-riverine economic
base represents a further departure from the ethnographic "Plateau
pattern."
At both 35WH14 and 35WH7, large pithouses are not evident in
components dating after 900 B.P., reflecting a shift to shorter sojourns
at these sites. Use of the Study Area as a whole persists, however, and
is marked by a proliferation of radiocarbon-dated occupations between
630 and 300 B.P.
Clustering of radiocarbon dates from ten sites in the Study Area
shows correlations with regional environmental changes. Both taphonomic
and cultural factors are discussed. Reduced human use of the area after
300 B.P. is reflected in an abrupt decline in radiocarbon-dated
occupations and the near-absence of Euroamerican trade goods. The role
of precontact introduced epidemics is considered.
Further consideration of spatial and temporal variability in Late
Archaic Plateau prehistory is urged.

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